summer inspiration in museum form

Hello friends!

I’m finally back from a month of travel in the U.S. The past few months have been crazy, finishing the fall patterns after moving to my new apartment and then making a mad dash back to see friends and family. These visits aren’t relaxing, with a change in location every few days at a minimum, but it’s worth the effort to catch up with all the people I love and miss. The famous S is settled into her new dorm room and ready to start her second year of college, and I really enjoyed spending a few days as her roommate, which gave me a better mental picture of her in her environment.

What did you do this summer? Travel? The beach or the pool? Maybe a camping trip? Or just relaxing at home, maybe with a book or a good sewing project?

Whatever it is, I hope you’ve enjoyed it to the maximum.

exhibits to inspire

Need a little fashion fix or sewing inspiration this summer? Here are a few exhibits I saw during my travels:

Sleeping Beauties, Metropolitan Museum Costume Institute (NYC): this was, of course, one of the highlights of my visit this summer!

Harlem Renaissance, Metropolitan Museum (NYC): excellent show, I “discovered” a few new favorite painters here, like these works by Winold Reiss.

Crafting the Ballets Russes, Morgan Library (NYC): the Ballets Russes has been a long-time obsession for me, and this show is excellent.

Noguchi Museum (NYC): a hidden retreat in Long Island City, this little gem is always inspiring for anyone who likes Japanese minimalism, and the garden is especially lovely.

Jenny Holzer, Guggenheim Museum (NYC): this wasn’t my favorite show, but she made good use of the inside spiral of the building for one of her light works.

Whitney Biennial, Whitney Museum (NYC): this is the show everyone loves to hate (often with good reason), but this year I thought is was excellent! A nice variety of artists, many of them older and less known but worthy of a wider audience. Plus, the permanent collection is always a treat, including this Hopper that always makes me smile.

At Atlas of Es Devlin, Cooper Hewitt Museum (NYC): I caught this on the last day of the exhibit, and it was so inspiring and well done. It really showed the process of this set designer and visual artist. Made me want to return to the studio and starting making things again.

Columbus Museum of Art (Columbus, Ohio): I think S and I saw everything on display here. I love to visit the permanent collection of every museum because it’s fun to discover the depth of each collection and to hear S say, “I studied this in art history class!”

Cleveland Museum of Art (Cleveland, Ohio): with special attention to the Korean Couture exhibit, which had several really beautiful pieces on display.

exhibits I’m looking forward to seeing or would have liked to see

Wearing a Garden, Museo del Traje (Madrid): I wish there was more available on-line, but I’ll be sure to take plenty of photos.

Lee Alexander McQueen & Ann Ray: Rendez-Vous, Frist Art Museum (Nashville): I won’t have a chance to see this one, but I certainly wish I could. Tell me if you do, please!

Statement Sleeves, the Museum at FIT (NYC): take a look at the online photos and descriptions, too! I missed seeing this one because my schedule didn’t coordinate with their hours, but it looks like it’s very good, as their exhibits usually are…

Saul Steinberg, Fundacion Juan March (Madrid): his iconic covers for The New Yorker are famous, and I can’t wait to get to know his other work.

What did you see this summer, and what inspired you? And what are you looking forward to this fall?